And Everything In Between
by theflockroxmysox
Summary: Eliot's dated girls before. But no one like her. And if she's willing to risk her life to save him, how can he possibly say goodbye? Eliot/OC
1. Pancakes for Dinner

**Yay, new story! Just as promised!**

**I may not update this story as quickly as I did my last one (with the exception of that one week when I was sick), because now, as a result of being sick, I have a lot of make-up work for school. But I'm aiming to get at least one more chapter up this week. Enjoy!**

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "Yes, it has a lot of wires! It's a com-pu-ter!" ~ Hardison**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Leverage. I would think of some witty saying, but I'm tired.**

**-O-**

**Chapter One**

**Pancakes for Dinner **

The loud din of the hotel restaurant neatly blended in with the constant chatter coming over Eliot's wire as he retreated to the kitchen to retrieve another order. A white hand cloth was casually slung over his shoulder, offsetting his black vest and completing the traditional "waiter" look. His shiny black shoes left small scuff marks wherever he stepped in the tiled kitchen, earning him some reproachful looks from the chefs as they handed him plates of food.

The team was in the middle of pulling off a tricky con. They each had multiple parts to play. Sophie, of course, was the one with the offer that would ultimately get the mark's money. Parker was the young girl buying her first house, with Hardison as her newly wed husband, and a maid at the same hotel Eliot was working at – and the mark was staying at. Nate at times was Sophie's rival, at others her partner. And Eliot, he had the worst part. The hotel restaurant waiter. Of course, he also had the best part as the shirtless lifeguard.

"Oh, excuse me, waiter!" The voice came from the far corner of the restaurant. Eliot looked over and smiled, catching sight of the young woman who had called him.

"My name is Harrison, and I will be your server today. How may I help you?" He asked, smiling and trying to ignore the argument between Nate and Sophie rising over his wire. He flipped open his little notepad, ready to write down her order.

"Well, this is gonna sound weird," she gave a small, embarrassed laugh. "I know it's, like, dinner time, but could I possibly have pancakes?"

Eliot laughed. "Pancakes," he wrote on his pad. "I don't think that's weird," She smiled at him, and an unfamiliar feeling woke in the pit of his stomach. Was he… nervous? No, that wasn't the right word.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Her voice broke into his thoughts. She was tearing open a sugar packet for her coffee.

"Well, don't you think you would've remembered me?" Over the comms, Hardison snorted. "I certainly would have remembered you."

Her smile grew wider, her lips parting to show pristine white teeth. "Definitely."

For a moment, Eliot was lost in her innocent hazel eyes. "Tell you what," he wrote something down on his pad. "Put your dinner on my tab," he held out the slip of paper.

She took it. "Oh, no. I couldn't…" her voice faded away as she noticed what else he had written on the paper. "Is this-?"

"My phone number," The hitter nodded. "You're not crumpling up the paper. I take that as a good sign."

Dimples appeared on her cheeks. A hand reached up self-consciously to brush back her wavy brown hair. "Well, you did promise to pay for my dinner. I'm Kylie, by the way."

Eliot opened his mouth to respond, but cut himself off as Parker's nervous voice came over the wire.

"Eliot," her voice was a harsh whisper. "I think someone's coming!"

"What?" He hissed, provoking a confused look from Kylie. Parker was in the mark's room, and she was supposed to be cleaning out his safe. The mark and his goons were supposed to have been distracted by Nate…

There was a sharp intake of breath on the wire, followed by a tentative, "Uh, hi."

_Dammit_, Eliot cursed. "Let me go give the chef your order," without waiting for a response, he walked away, passing his platter to another waiter on his way out. "Parker, I'm on my way up. They got guns?" He was at the elevator, pushing the button frantically.

"Yeah, I was just… it was open and I thought he wanted me to clean…"

The elevator still wasn't coming. Where the hell was it? He'd have to take the stairs. The room was on the fifth floor.

"I don't know what you're…" Parker seemed unable to finish her sentences.

Second floor. He heard the elevator's distant ding on the first floor, too late.

Third floor. He brushed by a couple, ignoring their annoyed looks.

Fourth floor. Damn. Why couldn't the elevator have come sooner?

Fifth floor. Eliot nearly jumped up the last steps and vaulted into the hallway. Room 376, where was room 376?

Room 318, 325, 331, 340, 354, 369…. Room 376 was at the very end of the hallway, the door stood slightly ajar. The voices that were muffled-sounding in the hallway were twice as loud on his wire.

"Silencers? No, no, we don't need those…"

"Parker, I'm coming in!"

The door slammed against the wall as Eliot pushed it open. The three goons, momentarily startled by the noise, paused just long enough for Eliot to overpower them.

He chopped down with an open hand on the left one's arm, and kneed him in the stomach. Parker grabbed a heavy book from the nightstand and brought it down on the second one's head. He dropped to the ground. The third one fired his gun, only to have it hit the television. Eliot twisted his hand. The gun dropped from it, and Eliot scooped it up. The goon held up his hands in surrender, and Parker slammed him from behind with the book.

"You alright?" Eliot asked between breaths, discarding the gun on the bed.

"Yeah," Parker nodded, though her hair was slightly mussed, falling out of her ponytail in several places.

The sound of cop sirens wafted up through the open window. "We gotta go."

-O-

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open, revealing the grand hotel lobby. Officers were streaming in, responding to the call that a gun shot had been heard. Eliot's head had started to buzz in the elevator, and now he slipped his arm over Parker's shoulder for support. Nothing had hit him during the fight, so why did he feel so out of it?

A black sedan was parked by the curb as the two walked out. Nate sat in the driver's seat, looking grim. In the passenger's seat, Sophie had a worried look in her eye as she surveyed them. Eliot crawled into the vehicle after Parker, his eyes already sliding shut. The last thing he heard before slipping into sleep was Nate saying, "Okay, time for Plan B."

-O-

**Feel free to review. Has anyone seen the music video for "The House Rules"? Aldis Hodge is the security guy! Did anybody else see Gina or Beth? I heard they were in there, but I didn't see them. **


	2. Phone Calls at Midnight

**New chappie! :) It's gonna be a short one, sorry. I'll try to make up for it later.**

**Leverage quote of the day (btw, the rest of the month is Hardison quotes): "What you want me to do, give the man a pet tiger?" ~ Hardy-son**

**Random fact of the day: It is proven that when listening to heavy metal music, termites will eat wood twice as fast.**

**Has anybody else heard of NaNoWriMo? stands for national novel writing month, and it starts in November, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel, 175 pgs long, between November 1****st**** and 30****th****. c the official-ness ( ^-^) of the competition at **

**-O-**

**Chapter Two**

**Phone Calls at Midnight**

It hurt like hell to sit up. Eliot didn't show it, of course. Not with the rest of the team watching. According to Nate, he'd been hit with some sort of sedative. Apparently, one of the goons in the hotel room had been carrying a tranquilizer, not a revolver. Well, that was freaking great.

The sedative had worn off fairly quickly, but it had left behind some sort of drug that was, right now, causing the pain he felt in his muscles.

"What happened to keeping them distracted?" He growled, leaning back against the couch.

He was in Nate's apartment. Nate was standing near him, Sophie was sitting in one chair and Parker in the other, and Hardison was fiddling with something on the screens.

"Yeah, that, um, didn't go as planned," Nate sighed.

"The mark wanted to transfer the money then, so he sent his men back to his room to get it," Sophie explained.

"And you didn't warn me because…?" Parker didn't sound angry, just curious.

There was a slight pause. Eliot nearly missed the look that flickered between Sophie and Nate before Nate spoke.

"Yeah, uh, the mark may have taken our comms…"

That got Hardison's attention. "Took your comms. Do you know how many comms like those there are in the world? None! I made those, those are my design! What, you think you're going to be able to walk into the nearest Wal-Mart and buy new ones?"

"You mean we're blown?"Parker asked.

"No, no. We just told him that we were receiving instructions from… the "higher-ups" in our office," Nate said.

"And he believed that?" Eliot asked, trying not to grimace as he stretched.

"Well, yeah," Nate shrugged. "So, we'll proceed as planned."

For several moments, no one spoke.

"Mind if I crash here tonight?" Eliot finally asked Nate. He didn't think he'd be able to manage walking to the door, let alone walking all the way home.

"Uh, sure," Nate nodded.

-O-

Sometime later, the insistent vibrating of Eliot's phone in his pocket woke him out of his half-sleep. Frowning, wondering who would be calling him at – he glanced at the clock – 12:02 at night, he flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Harrison?" The voice was feminine, and vaguely familiar.

"Who is this?"

"Oh, sorry, it's Kylie. From the restaurant?" Her. Eliot smiled as he remembered the brief meeting with her earlier that day. "I'm sorry I'm calling so late, but…"

"Don't worry about it," he was glad to have something to do. Normally he'd be on a run right now, but obviously that wasn't possible. His muscles still ached.

"You sure? Anyway, I was just calling to ask if you're okay. I mean, you didn't come back after you left my table earlier today…" She sounded slightly flustered and nervous, talking quickly. "I mean, if you don't want to tell me, it's okay. I know I'm a complete stranger…"

Eliot laughed. "You noticed, did you? I'm flattered. I had a… family emergency."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, is-"

"You wanna tell me why you really called?"

"Oh, yeah. I, uhm, well, I mean, it's okay if you don't want to, but I was wondering, do you want to do something tomorrow? I'm sorry, I'm not usually this flustered."

"I'd like that," he stifled a yawn.

"Great!" There was a click, and the line went dead.

**-O-**

**So, yeah, it's really short, but I really had no idea what to put in this chapter, cuz I stink at writing fillers. Review anyway?**


	3. Roller Skates and a Twist of Fate

**So, I'm finally back after a long absence! :) I realize that I didn't tell you guys I was going on hiatus for the month of November, and I apologize if you panicked and thought I had given up on this story. I had an author's note written out, and I could have sworn I had posted it, but I guess I forgot. Ah, well. I think I posted it in my other story, Life Along the Way. **

**Anyways, I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait (even though it probably won't turn out to be a major cliffhanger). Happy Belated Turkey-Day, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: As of this chapter, I'm going to stop writing disclaimers. I think we all know that I don't own Leverage.**

**Quote of the Day: "So what are the chances that Eliot's crotch explodes?" ~ Parker**

**-O-**

**Chapter Three**

**Roller Skates and a Twist of Fate**

The sound of eggs and bacon sizzling over the stove had always comforted Eliot. The hissing, popping, and spitting noises reminded him of his younger years, when his parents would wake up long before him to make breakfast before he headed off to school. He remembered waking up to the friendly, familiar scents of crispy applewood bacon, and the sounds of plates clanking against one another with a sort of musical rhythm as breakfast was served. His parents' melodic laughter would reach his ears and he would be able to picture their smiles long before he set foot in the kitchen. He had been safe, then. Tucked neatly away from the rest of the world and its problems.

"Smells good," Nate's voice shook Eliot out of his reverie. He slid the spatula underneath an egg and flipped it, trying to appear nonchalant. "Maybe I should have you stay over more often," there was a teasing tone to Nate's voice as he treaded down the stairs, dressed casually and with a slight ruffle to his hair.

Eliot chuckled and slid a mug of steaming coffee across the counter. Nate nodded his thanks and picked it up.

Then the doorbell rang.

Eliot exchanged a glance with Nate. Sophie and Hardison wouldn't have bothered with the doorbell, they would just waltz right in. And Parker preferred the window.

Eliot flipped the last of the eggs onto a plate and walked cautiously over to the door. He squinted through the peephole, and let out a low curse. Nate furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's Hughes, with his little secretary." The mark.

The doorbell rang again.

"He's here for Sophie," Nate concluded grimly.

"Yeah, I know that!" Eliot said.

Nate let out a sigh. "Alright, uhm, I'll go text Sophie," he was already getting off his stool. "You... stall him." He grabbed his coffee and was gone.

"Stall him? What am I- Seriously? Nate!" Eliot sighed contemptuously, shaking his head.

He opened the door.

"Good mornin'," he flashed his brightest smile. "How can I help you gentlemen?"

The mark looked surprised, no, astonished, to see a male standing in the doorway. "You're not Ms. Nickerson."

Eliot chuckled. "No, I most certainly am not. So-Samantha actually just stepped out for a moment to find herself a newspaper. Frankly, I don't see the point in those things. I mean, now that we have the in'ernet and all-"

"Yes," The mark frowned. "Do you mind if I wait for her to return?" Without waiting for an answer, he brushed by Eliot and strode into the apartment.

"Come in, why don't you?" Eliot tried to make his tone as light as possible, concealing his disgust at the man's profession.

His secretary gave him an apologetic look, and was polite enough to wait for Eliot to gesture that he should come in as well.

"So, who are you, her butler or something?" Hughes frowned.

Eliot chuckled, a little less enthusiastically. "Her-her butler? Do I look like a butler? No, man, I'm her b..." Hughes raised an eyebrow. "Her brother." He'd been about to say boyfriend, before remembering that part of Sophie's roll was to flirt with the mark.

"Really? You don't seem to share many physical features with Ms. Nickerson," Hughes didn't look a Eliot as he spoke, he was too busy profiling the apartment.

Eliot scrunched his forehead. "You mean, I don't _look_ like her? Well, I was adopted-"

Hughes spun to face him suddenly. "Why are you cooking so many eggs, if it's just you and Ms. Nickerson?" He inquired, frowning. It seemed as though the frown had been permanently carved into his face with a dull knife.

Damn. Eliot opened his mouth to respond-

And Sophie made her entrance.

"Brother, dear, I'm back!" She waltzed into the room, a stack of newspapers in her hands which she promptly flung down onto the counter. "Oh!" She pretended to be shocked at the mark's presence. "Erik, what are you doing here?"

Eliot was dumbstruck. "How did-?" He shook his head. Nate must have told her about the whole brother, newspaper thing in his text.

"Liam, this is Erik Hughes, a business associate of mine. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to Mr. Hughes-" she broke off at a look from the mark. "_Erik_, alone."

Eliot nodded once, hair swishing into his face. Not bothering to brush it back, he cast one final wary glance at the mark and walked out.

-O-

_Later that day…_

"Alright, good, Sophie. Now reel him in." Nate was standing with his back to Eliot as the hitter walked into the room, intent on watching something on the screens. "Where are you going?" he asked. Eliot stopped in his tracks, his leather jacket, slung casually over his arm, swinging lazily with left-over inertia. Nate's eyes had never left the monitors.

"What?" Eliot growled. "I'm not needed right now!"

Hardison chuckled from his position on the couch. "Someone's got a date."

"It's not a date!" Eliot snapped.

Hardison cocked an eyebrow.

"Fine, it's a date. You happy? Can I leave now?" He turned his attention to Nate.

Nate finally turned to face the hitter, taking in his appearance. Eliot was dressed casually in dark jeans and boots, a blue plaid shirt hanging just right over his torso – tight enough to cast a vague outline on his bulging muscles, but not too tight. His hair was as it normally was, brown and falling to his shoulders.

"You're wearing too much cologne," Nate commented indifferently. "Just be back in time for your part."

-O-

The roller skate rink was crowded. No, that was an understatement. Multi-colored neon light flashed from the ceiling, illuminating the darker shadows of the rink in a rainbow of colors. Several normal white light bulbs hung over the actual rink, but their presence was dwarfed by all of the other colors. The music was blasting, sending shockwaves into the ground and rattling Eliot's bones as he walked in. Skaters whisked by him, laughing and shouting and completely in their own world.

So, basically, any paranoid retrieval specialist's worst nightmare.

A tap on his shoulder startled him, and he whirled around, fists already coming up defensively.

It was Kylie. She smiled at him and he forced himself to breathe in, slowly uncurling his fists.

"Hey!" She had to yell to be heard over the music and din of the rink. "I already got you a pair of skates!"

"Thanks," Eliot took the black-with-orange-neon-buckles skates from her outstretched hand, and replaced them with his hand. He led her over to a free table and they sat down.

"You ever skated before?" Eliot asked as they laced up their skates.

"A few times, when I was little," Kylie answered. "I trust you'll teach me how?"

Eliot grinned in response.

The song ended, and a voice came over the radio. "Please exit the skating rink. Please exit the skating rink. This next song will be for speed skaters only. Speed skaters only."

Eliot watched as Kylie finished lacing up her skates and sat up. She looked out at the skating rink, and then back at him.

"Go ahead," she nodded towards the rink. "I know you want to, and you're going to have to deal with my amazing skating the rest of the night," she winked at him.

Eliot was reluctant to leave her sitting by herself.

But then the music started, and she kicked him under the table.

He took one last glance at her and skated onto the rink.

At once he fell into the familiar rhythm of skating. Push, land, push, land, push, land. It was so simple minded. He sped up, easily lapping all of the other "speed skaters". He stopped, and let his skates glide effortlessly over the smooth surface of the rink. It was easy to lose himself in the steady rhythm of the skates, and the pulsating beat of the song. It was the first time in a while he had felt… alive.

The song faded to an end, and the rink slowly filled with other skaters permeating through the rink. He glided over to Kylie and stopped, holding out his hand.

She took it, smiling. "That was amazing. I'd be too scared to go that fast!"

"Well, I've had a lot of practice," he stifled a laugh as she wobbled onto the rink. Despite her ungraceful skating technique, she looked amazing. Her hair was pulled back into a french braid, and her bangs were clipped to the side, revealing her large hazel eyes. Her flowered tank top stopped short just before a woven belt that was threaded through her whitewashed skinny jeans.

They skated around once, Eliot keeping his hand intertwined with hers as he let her get the feel of the skates. They moved at a snail's pace, and Kylie wouldn't stop apologizing.

"Now, I want you to pretend you're walking with longer strides. Push off with your feet like you were about to jump or slide forward."

He let go of her hand, but stayed close as she tried to take his advice, and only ended up falling unskillfully on her butt.

Eliot laughed, and offered her his hand.

She glared at him, and shoved him playfully. He nearly lost his balance, and she broke out into a smile. "Let's try again."

Several songs later, Kylie had finally gotten the hang of it. She tried unsuccessfully to race Eliot, and scolded him for not being gentlemanly enough to let her win when she lost.

Eliot couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so alive. He couldn't stop laughing, and when he wasn't laughing, he was smiling a real smile. Sometimes he'd find himself lagging behind her without even realizing it, watching her in amazement.

It was one of these times that he was lagging behind that Kylie stumbled. He shot forward, placing his hands gently on her waist to steady her. She looked back and smiled, thanking him. Eliot winked and shot forward, then spun around to face her. She stuck out her tongue and mouthed the words "show-off".

He laughed and let her catch up.

"This next song will be a couple's skate. Couples only. Everybody else, please exit the skating rink." The voice came over the speakers again.

Eliot could feel Kylie hesitate, and then take his hand in hers.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she winked.

"Does this mean we're going on a second date?" Eliot asked as the song began, "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls.

_I remember what you wore on that first day_

_You came into my life and I thought _

"_Hey, you know, this could be something."_

She smiled in answer and they skated. Eliot watched her as her hair stirred slightly in the breeze, smiling without realizing it.

_So maybe it's true_

_That I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is better than one_

They skated, so close together that their shoulders touched. Eliot's eyes never left hers. He hadn't felt this carefree… ever.

_You make it hard for breathing…_

'_Cause when I close my eyes and drift away_

_I think of you and everything's okay_

_I'm finally now believing._

Kylie took too big of a lunge, and tripped. Eliot grabbed her arm and pulled her up. Her eyes shone as she gazed at him.

_So maybe it's true_

_That I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is better than one_

Kylie spread her arms as the chorus of the song sprang up, louder than ever. Eliot dropped behind her and gently placed his hands on her waist.

_I remember what you wore on that first day_

_You came into my life and I thought "Hey,"_

She looked back at him, smiling a brilliant smile. Eliot felt like he was gliding over air.

_But I've figured out_

_When all is said and done_

_Two is better than one_

They slowed as the song drew to a close. Kylie let her arms fall to her sides, and Eliot whirled her around to face him as they came to a stop. Her face was inches from his. Centimeters. Their lips met softly.

_Two is better than one._

**-O-**

**What do you think? Did that make up for my overly long absence? Let me know in a review!**

**And no, to all you readers out there who are wondering, this is not turning into a songfic. Nope, no way. The song just happened to come on the radio as I was writing this and I thought it fit the mood really well. But believe me when I say: This will be the one and only time I ever quote a song directly in a Leverage fanfiction.**

**So, I came up with so many new ideas during November, a few of them involving Shawn Spencer from Psych. Would any of you be interested in reading a story about him? It'll be Shules, of course. **

**Oh, and if you haven't yet, check out my other Leverage stories posted on my page!**


	4. Going Steady

**This chapter is basically a filler, and it's really short. Review anyways? The next chapter will probably be posted tomorrow, since it's going to be an exciting one! :)**

**One more thing – after this story is over I am going to be writing a Psych story involving Shawn Spencer. I asked this last chapter, but no one has answered yet: Would any of you be interested in reading it, if you watch the show?**

**Um… yup! That's all for now! **

**-O-**

**Chapter Four**

**Going Steady**

"You're late," Nate commented dryly as Eliot strode into the apartment the next morning.

The retrieval specialist glanced at his watch. "Five minutes?" He asked incredulously. He tried to sound annoyed, but it failed as a grin shadowed his face.

Hardison picked up on the hitter's contained smile right away. "What're you so happy about?"

In response Eliot threw a can of orange soda at the hacker, chuckling. Hardison glared at him. "Seriously, seriously? Now I'm gonna have to wait for like half an hour!"

Eliot opened his mouth to respond in the same moment that Parker walked into the room.

"Boys, boys, stop fighting." She took a comm from Nate, who was watching the whole exchange with an amused expression. Parker put in the comm in her ear, glancing quizzically at Eliot. "What, no breakfast this morning?"

Eliot didn't bother with an answer. He looked around as he put his own comm in his own ear. "Where's Sophie?"

"She was on time," Nate looked pointedly at Eliot and Parker. "So I sent her out on some recon." He brought his coffee mug to his lips.

He glanced up from his coffee as hitter, hacker, and thief fixed him with disbelieving stares. "What?" He seemed annoyed to have been interrupted in his coffee-drinking.

"Sophie? Recon?" Eliot scoffed.

"She's not exactly good at the whole "under the radar" thing," Hardison pointed out.

"Yeah. I spotted her from a mile away when she was following Nate yesterday," Parker put in.

Now all of the stares were fixed blankly on the thief.

"Uh… what?" Nate asked eventually.

Parker stiffened, sensing she had said wrong. "Nothing. Nothing! Why are we still staring?"

There was a brief moment of silence, broken by Nate. "Right. Well. let's get to work."

Before he could move, Eliot strode over to him and grabbed his coffee cup from him. Nate opened his mouth to protest as Eliot brought the steaming cup up to his nose, and inhaled deeply. He shot Nate a disapproving glance.

"Scotch, man? This early in the morning?"

"Well… I…" Nate had no response.

Eliot scoffed and walked out.

-O-

The restaurant was busy as ever when Eliot walked in, dressed in the same waiter outfit as before. Scanning the room, he noticed that there were no empty tables. Every single one of them was occupied by someone – mostly couples or families. It sounded like a high school cafeteria, and there was a cheerful buzz to the atmosphere. Little children ran around underfoot, screeching and chasing one another around the tables.

He made his way through the crowd, and couldn't help overhearing the manager talking to another employee.

"But, sir! This is supposed to be a _sophisticated_ restaurant! We can't have these… children running amuck! It's bad for business!" The employee was obviously outraged. His face was bright red.

The manager let out a laugh. "Bad for business! Ryan, you crack me up! Look around. This is business!"

Eliot shook his head, stifling a smile as he signed himself in on the employee computer.

"Table seven is ready to be served," a blonde waitress named Morgan told Eliot as she passed by, hands full with platters chock full with food.

Eliot glanced over at table seven, and sighed. Three kids and a mother sat at the table. The mother was trying desperately to stop her oldest from drawing on the youngest's face with a purple crayon.

And then the family disappeared as the world went dark.

Eliot tensed, ready to whirl around and face his attacker, when a familiar voice said "Guess who!"

"Kylie," He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Damn, you scared me."

"Sorry," she smirked, not sorry at all.

"What're you doing here?"

"Well, I thought I'd stop by. See, I know someone who works here, you know." She raised her eyebrows teasingly.

"Do you, know?"

"Mmm-hmmm," she nodded.

"Well, he must be pretty amazing to have scored a job in this fancy hotel."

Over the comms, Hardison scoffed.

Kylie smiled, looking into his eyes.

"Harrison, table seven!" Morgan's voice floated across the restaurant, sounding impatient.

He sighed, glancing resentfully at the rowdy table. "That's my cue."

She gave a little pout. "We still on for tonight?"

"'Course," Eliot nodded, leaning close. Their lips met, and then he was gone.

-O-

McRory's pub was lively with activity when Eliot strode in later that evening. Almost everyone had a beer or some other type of alcoholic beverage in hand. A game of poker was in full swing in the darker corner. Raucous laughter sounded from somewhere within the jungle of people. He gained several suspicious looks from the more sober customers, no doubt wary of him because of his dark leather jacket and work boots, and his broad build, as he made his way over to an empty barstool.

Cora winked at him as he sat down, and reached to get him a glass of his usual. He stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Not tonight."

She gave him a puzzled look, but lowered her hand, disappearing as she was flagged down by someone farther down on the bar.

"Hey, you!" Eliot turned at the sound of Kylie's voice.

"Hey."

"You ready? I can't wait to see this restaurant you picked out for us!"

Eliot smiled and stood up, grasping her hand in his. It was going to be an interesting evening.

Perhaps more interesting than Eliot had anticipated.

**-O-**

**Ta-da! Yup, boring filler. But I'll make up for it next chapter, I promise!**


	5. Secrets

**New chapter, just as promised (albeit a day late)! There's plenty of action in this chapter, so I expect more reviews! Eliot's character may seem a little off, at least towards the beginning of the chapter, because let's face it – it is nearly impossible to write about Eliot making small talk.**

**I didn't have a quote of the day yesterday, so I'll have two today.**

**Quote of the Day yesterday: "I am. I meant... a bean steak. A steak... made of beans. Held together with soy glue." ~ Parker**

**Quote of the Day today:**

**Tara****: Look, Blanchard's here at the same time you are. That's a coincidence.**

**Nate****: No, no, we hacked into his online appointment schedule. I mean, yes, what a coincidence.**

**-O-**

**Chapter Five**

**Secrets**

The difference between the hotel restaurant and this restaurant was immediately apparent as Eliot and Kylie walked in. Soft music played over the speakers, and the clatter of silverware on expensive china was louder than the voices. The whole front side of the restaurant was glass windows, the restaurant's name, Olive Rose, stamped on them in gold lettering. The tables were covered by ivory table clothes, and adorned with neatly folded red cloth napkins. The whole restaurant was bathed in a warm shower of light.

They took their seats at a table right next to the window, and their waitress placed a basket of rolls and dip on the table. She took their drink orders and disappeared.

"Wow, this is a pretty fancy restaurant for someone on a waiter's salary," Kylie commented as she split a roll.

Eliot chuckled. "I'm also a lifeguard."

"I knew it! I knew you looked familiar! You were there when my friends and I went to the pool the other day," she grinned, satisfied with her discovery.

"Really?" Eliot tried to sound interested.

She nodded, swallowing. "So, we didn't really have a chance to talk last night. You know, with the blasting music and all. How's your… who did you say it was?"

"What?"

"You had to leave the restaurant the other day because you said one of your family members was hurt?"

Eliot blinked, surprised she had remembered that. But then, of course she had. He'd stormed out of the restaurant and not returned – on their first meeting.

"Oh, it was my sister. She's, uh, fine." Eliot let out a reluctant chuckle to ease the tension.

Kylie nodded, sensing that he didn't want to talk about it. The waitress appeared at their sides and placed their drinks on the table. She whipped out a notepad and took their orders of ribs and chicken with rice from Eliot and Kylie respectively.

"How about yourself?" Eliot asked once the waitress had gone.

"Well, I grew up with my dad. My mom left when I was three. I had a younger sister but she… um, she was killed in a car accident when she was nineteen," a tiny, false smile crept onto her face, but her eyes were shining.

"I'm sorry," Eliot took her hand in his, rubbing it gently. It was one of the few times he had been sincerely sorry.

She took a deep breath, awkwardly taking her hands from his to brush at her hair. "It was such a long time ago. I haven't talked about it in a while. I still… I still blame myself."

"Well, don't."

"But it _was_ my fault. It's really… it's the kind of story you hear all the time but never expect to happen to you. I was the one who convinced her to sneak out with me to that stupid concert. She insisted on driving, but she'd already done me a favor by coming this far so I declined. The… the car came out of nowhere. It crashed right into the passenger side."

Eliot had no idea what to say to that. No one had every confided in him something like that before. After a moment of watching her try to subtly wipe at her eyes, he spoke. "I used to be in the army. Our whole squad… we were like brothers. We did everything together, we shared everything. Secrets we wouldn't even tell our own wives. I couldn't imagine life without them.

"But then one day, when we were stationed in Afghanistan, we were doing a routine drive. We'd done it a million times, and nothing had ever gone wrong. Until that day," Eliot paused, unsure of where to go from here. This was a story from a previous life, and one that he'd never shared with anyone. So why was he confiding in her all of a sudden? He continued anyway. "The enemy soldiers came out of nowhere. They'd been lying in wait. Somehow they'd figured out about our routine check.

"Their guns were firing before we even knew what was happening. Four soldiers were riddled with bullet holes in the first ten seconds. Bullets flew everywhere. By the time it was over, all of the enemy soldiers lay dead in the sand. But so did every other soldier in my squad," his voice had dropped to nothing more than a whisper. He'd never done anything by routine since that day.

Kylie was speechless. "I'm…. I'm so sorry. I don't… know what else to say."

Eliot shook his head. "You know, I've never told anyone that story before." He forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, then I'm honored," Kylie smiled.

The food was brought to the table, and then there was less of talking and more of eating.

Halfway through the meal, his cell phone rang.

"'Scuse me," he grinned apologetically. He slipped it out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Yeah?"

"Eliot-"

"Hardison?" Eliot growled, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Eliot. Listen to me. Nate's in trouble."

"What?" He looked over at Kylie. "Excuse me for a second," he got up from the table and practically jogged out of the restaurant. "What do you mean, Nate's in trouble?"

"I-I don't know, man," Eliot could picture Hardison, pacing in a circle, one hand rubbing nervously against the back of his head. "Hughes called and wanted to talk to Nate."

"And he went?" Eliot asked incredulously. "Without telling me?"

"That's not the point, man! Just-just-just listen for a second! So he asked Nate to meet him at the hospital on Main Street, don't ask why! Nate went, but then-then… somehow they found us out, man. Hughes took Nate's comm. He-he told me that if I wanted to see Nate again, then I had to pay him back all the money he'd lost."

Eliot slammed his fist against the pole of the street lamp. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. This had to happen, _now_? "So give him the money!"

"It's not that simple! He lost a bet at some race track recently. A big bet. And he wants us to pay him back that money, too."

"But we didn't-"

"I know that, man! Just let me finish! I already called Parker and Sophie. We have a plan to rescue him, but we need your help."

Eliot rubbed a hand over his mouth in distress. "Alright," he said at last. "Where are you?"

-O-

Kylie perked her head up as the doors to the restaurant flew open. She frowned as she saw the expression on Harrison's face as he strode over to their table.

As he neared the table, Eliot reviewed what he would say to Kylie. He hated lying to her more than he had to, but, well… he had to.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he drew near.

"My sister's worse. I need to go to the hospital now, I'm sorry."

"Well, that's okay. I'll drive you, just tell me where to go."

Eliot nodded his thanks and slapped some money on the table, before following Kylie out of the restaurant.

-O-

"This it?" Kylie asked as they pulled up alongside the hospital.

Eliot nodded. "Yeah," he started to get out of the car, then paused. "Stay here, alright?"

"Wh-" The door slammed before she could finish her sentence.

-O-

"Yo, Eliot," Hardison fell in step with the hitter as he entered the building. He was dressed as a security guard, and had his laptop balanced expertly on one hand. "Who's in the car?"

"I was on a date, now what's the plan?"

"You brought your date to a rescue mission?" Hardison was incredulous.

Eliot stopped and turned to them as they approached the stairwell. "What is the plan?"

"Okay, so I managed to trace Nate's wire to a room on the fourth floor before I lost the signal. It's the only wing in this building that's not in use. It's currently being renovated to-"

"Just cut to the chase, man," Eliot growled, crossing his arms.

"Right. Sophie's waiting outside in our getaway car. Parker's waiting in an unused room on the third floor. She'll unlock the door once you get rid of the guards that I'm assuming will be waiting outside the door."

"And you assume that because?"

"Hughes told me what to say to them when I came with the money. Oh, by the way, he only gave me one hour," he glanced at the clock on his computer. "And that was forty-five minutes ago."

"You didn't think to tell me that before? Let's go, man."

"Right. Oh, here," Hardison handed Eliot a comm.

They ran up the staircase, pausing on the third floor to let Parker catch up to them. They stopped at the door to the fourth floor wing.

"Ready?" Eliot asked Parker. The only answer he received was the swinging of doors as the thief forged ahead. "Damn it, Parker! Stay here, Hardison!" He ran after the thief, sighing in annoyance.

He met up with her at the corner of the wing. "Shh!" she frowned, gesturing for him to stay against the wall. "They're up there."

Eliot didn't even bother to check before he rounded the corner, coming into full view of the two men standing stiffly in front of a closed door. They were both wearing black suits and had crew cuts. Definitely ex-marines. They tensed as he drew nearer.

"Excuse me, sir. This is a private wing."

Eliot chuckled. He didn't answer.

"Excuse me!" They began to walk forward, hands creeping into the hidden guns that were no doubt hidden in holsters beneath their jackets.

Eliot stopped, letting them come to him.

And then he lunged.

He grabbed the first man's arm and twisted it behind his back. He brought his knee up into the man's chest. The man doubled over, and Eliot used his body weight to send him careening into the second man. They tumbled, falling in a tangle of arms and legs. Eliot watched as they untangled themselves, and then slammed his fist into the first one's head. He crumpled to the ground. The remaining man swung as Eliot was distracted, colliding solidly with the rock-hard skull.

Eliot stumbled, caught off guard. The man swung again, his fist meeting Eliot's face. Eliot grunted and rammed his head into the man's stomach. He kept with his momentum, slamming him into the far wall. He straightened, and there was a distinctive "thwack" as his fist crashed into the man's skull one final time.

"Parker!" He grunted after he had emptied the guns and thrown them into a supply closet.

"On it!" Parker rounded the corner, lock pick already out and ready.

They burst into the room.

Nate looked up in surprise as they entered. He was cuffed to the railing of a hospital bed, and dried blood was crusted on his nose. There was a dark shadow under one of his eyes. Eliot quickly scanned the room, but they were alone. It briefly crossed his mind that it was strange that Hughes hadn't been here, but then he was notorious for ditching. In fact, he'd probably heard Eliot tussling with the guards outside the door and decided to flee out of the side door.

"Hey, man, you okay?" Eliot asked, coming to his side as Parker fiddled with the cuffs.

"Yeah, yeah," His voice was somewhat hoarse , and it was clear that Nate had already moved on from being rescued and was thinking about something else.

There was a click and the cuffs unlocked. Parker stood back to allow Nate room to stand up, and together they walked out of the room, Eliot in the lead.

No sooner had Eliot exited the room than he was hit in the back of the head with a blow that sent him stumbling forward. The guards had woken up.

Eliot regained his footing and whirled to face his assailant, effectively slamming the door shut to protect Nate and Parker. He parried and blocked and swung and blocked, trying to figure out where the other man was. He pivoted as the guard swung, throwing him over his back. The guard tumbled, tripping up the other guard, who had come to attack Eliot from behind. Eliot backed away from the unconscious guard, and waved a hand at the other guard tauntingly. The guard stepped over the body and rushed at Eliot.

There was a shout from the end of the hall. Eliot, surprised and distracted, whirled around.

Kylie was standing there, a look of utter horror etched onto her face.

Eliot swore, and turned his back just in time to receive an uppercut to his jaw. His head snapped back, effectively clearing his mind. He became a whirlwind of flying fists, legs, feet and arms. He landed a fist squarely on the guard's eye. Then a foot to his stomach. He ducked, dodging the man's comebacks. Pushing off the wall, he started to swing and then whirled out of the way as the other man's knee attempted to enter his chest. Punches, kicks, blocks. Eliot leaned into the man's next punch, and fell to the ground. He rolled as the man's fist descended, and his fist hit the hard tiled floor instead. There was a cry of pain, and Eliot leaped up, delivering one final blow to the guard's stomach. He crumpled to the floor, and there was a loud crack as his skull came into contact with the floor.

There was a loud gasp from Kylie. Eliot looked up at her, knowing full well what she saw. His nose was streaming blood, his lip was split in several places. He probably had a black eye, and his bicep muscle ached where it had been slammed against the doorknob. His shirt was flecked with dark red. His muscles were bulging, flexing. And he was standing over two unconscious bodies that she had just witnessed him do battle with.

Hardison appeared behind her. "I'm sorry, man. I tried to stop her."

Nate and Parker appeared next to him. Nate frowned as he examined the situation.

"Kylie," Eliot's voice was gruff as it always was after an intense fight.

"You-you-you… you monster!" she spat, trembling. Eliot sighed. He walked slowly forward, the palms of his hands open to show he meant no harm. "Get away from me!" She yelled.

"Kylie!" Eliot shouted, but she was gone.


	6. Shelter

**Christian Kane's album was released yesterday! If you've already bought it, what's your favorite song? Mine's "Fast Car". If you haven't bought it yet, what are you waiting for?**

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "We're all addicts, Nate! We're all addicted to our pasts." ~ Sophie**

**-O-**

**Chapter Six**

**Shelter**

There was a solemn feel to the atmosphere in Nate's apartment the next day. The team sat on the couches, watching as Nate paced anxiously back and forth. No one was sure how to proceed now that they'd been discovered, and in Nate's case, held captive (albeit for less than an hour).

The couch cushion shifted as it took on Sophie's weight as she settled down next to the hitter.

"Hey, you okay?"

Eliot sighed, and looked at her as if to say "what do you think?"

"Look, I know it's hard now, but-"

"Sophie."

"Give it time-"

"Sophie."

"Mm?" By now the whole team had stopped to listen.

Eliot's voice was soft. "I think I loved her," he stood up, not wanting to see her – or any of the other team member's – reaction. In two strides he was opening the door and exiting the apartment. Everyone tensed, awaiting the door slam. But it never came. Of course it never came. Eliot was too careful for that.

-O-

The pub was all noise as Eliot took his seat at the bar counter. He hadn't gone far after leaving the apartment, half hoping that Sophie would follow him and use her way with words to comfort him. It was stupid, he knew that. He was a grown man, he should be sucking it up instead of wallowing in his own sorrow. It had been his fault, after all, that Kylie had been there, had seen what a monster-

No. He had been doing his job, _saving _Nate, and she had just jumped to conclusions. She'd run out before he had a chance to explain himself.

And now here he was, drinking his sorrows away just like Nate, when he should be back upstairs helping with the con. He needed to force his personal problems to the back of his mind, focus all of his attention on helping the team.

And yet…

Eliot nodded at Cora. More whiskey splashed into his glass.

"Should I be worried?" She asked, one hand absently swiping at her auburn hair.

Eliot let out a small chuckle. "No, darlin'. You don't need my problems."

She looked skeptically at him. There was a shout from the other end of the bar, a request for more alcohol. She sighed, and turned back to Eliot.

"Look, a friend of Nate's is a friend of mine," she winked, and the shouts became more insistent. "Hold your horses, McNab!" She rolled her eyes in Eliot's direction and turned away.

Eliot set his glass down, watching her go with amusement sparkling in his eyes. Maybe he had been wrong – he didn't need Sophie to cheer him up, Cora was doing just fine. Don't get him wrong, he didn't mean anything by it, it was just nice to see a friendly face – someone who _didn't_ know what he did for a living.

Dusk had fallen by the time Eliot left the pub. He shrugged on his leather jacket, looking back over his shoulder once as he walked away. The team had obviously decided he needed his space, since none of them had come down to the pub.

Something pricked his arm. He winced in surprise rather than hurt, and lifted his arm to take a closer look.

A black dart was stick lopsidedly out of his leather jacket.

He pulled it out, senses suddenly on high alert as he scanned the surrounding area. There! The tip of a gun disappearing from a third story window across the street. But, a gun? It had only been a… only been a…

There were several shocked gasps from pedestrians as Eliot collapsed on the sidewalk, unconscious.

**-O-**

**So, it was basically a really short filler, but there was a cliffhanger! I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


	7. Disguised

**It's been a week, which feels like a really long time to me, so I'll recap the last bit of the previous chapter before starting with this one.**

**Leverage Quote of the Day (it's a long one):**

**Hardison: Yeah, but there's one thing you didn't count on.**

**Chaos: Oh, no.**

**Hardison: You forgot…**

**Chaos: No…**

**Hardison: About the true meaning…**

**Chaos: No, don't you say it!**

**Hardison: … of Christmas.**

**Chaos: My God, that barely applies here!**

**Hardison: Ho ho ho.**

**Awesome Quote of the Day: "Oh, you mean my pilot's license? That's out back in the Cessna. Or perhaps you're referring to my license to kill. Revoked. Trouble at the Kazakhstan border. I could give you the details but then I'd have to kill you, which I can't do because my license to kill has been revoked." ~ Shawn Spencer from Psych**

**-O-**

**Chapter Seven**

**Disguised**

_There were several shocked gasps from pedestrians as Eliot collapsed on the sidewalk, unconscious._

As Sophie left the apartment later that night, the last one to finally leave, she noticed there was no sign of Eliot at the bar. He must have gone home, possibly hours ago. She wondered if she should have pursued him, tried to console him in some way.

She exited the pub to see an ambulance whisking away down the street, sirens screaming in its wake.

"Excuse me," she walked up to a teen who was staring after the ambulance in bewilderment. "What happened here?"

"Some dude, I dunno, fainted, over there, and then the ambulance came, like, two seconds later."

She wanted to ask what the "dude" looked like, but the teen had already turned her attention back to her phone.

Sophie pulled out her own cell phone, dialing Eliot's number with ease. He could take care of himself, certainly, and if it had been him in the ambulance, well, he wasn't the kind to wait around for the doctors to release him.

His phone went directly to voicemail. Which was strange, because he always left his phone on. Although, Sophie reflected as she shoved the phone into her back pocket, he was a bit upset at the moment. Maybe he just didn't feel like talking to anyone.

-O-

The air reeked of mildew and dust. Eliot could tell without opening his eyes, from the dank and chilly atmosphere of the room that he was somewhere underground. His whole body was stiff, his muscles screaming in protest as he tried to shift his weight – only to be stopped by the rough ropes constricting him to the wooden chair.

His eyes flew open – and even _that_ hurt. The room was constructed of gray concrete, lined with dirt-caked fissures. A door was sealed into the far corner, knob-less and made of the same gray concrete as the rest of the room.

Eliot cursed the day he'd decided he didn't need to carry a knife. Up until now, his fists had been the only weapon he needed. Even if he had been carrying a knife, it would have been taken away from him.

The ropes were not that thick. Clearly whoever was responsible for his imprisonment did not know who he was, what he was capable of. What he would have been capable of, had it not been for the fierce ache raging through him, as good as paralyzing him where he sat.

He forced himself to relax in the chair. Years of experience told him that it would do no good to waste all of his fighting energy now, when he could do nothing. He knew what would happen. Whoever was responsible would wait for a little while, while letting Eliot become familiar with his bleak surroundings, and then he or she would come in, giving some little speech about what Eliot was doing here. And then there would either be a ransom call, or there wouldn't.

Several hours passed – at least, that's what it felt like. The bastards had taken his watch. Eliot had trained himself to be able to sit completely still in a rigid wooden chair for days without being uncomfortable if necessary, but the chair, combined with the coarse ropes digging into his skin and the drug still coursing through his system, and he was beginning to feel a bit fatigued. And on top of that, his leather jacket had been taken as well, revealing his bare arms, and chest covered only by a thin cloth t-shirt, to the bone-chilling air of the room – the cell.

As he sat there waiting, it dawned on him that the team probably had no idea that he was even gone. He'd left hours before any of them, and with the way he had stormed out, they'd probably expect him to not show up tomorrow. He'd just have to hope that his captors knew who to call, if they decided on ransom. The team were the only people close enough to him to care.

There was a hissing sound, and the door swung open, surprisingly quietly. Two darkly dressed figures strode in, followed by another, familiar-looking silhouette.

"Hughes," Eliot growled. _I should have known._

The man brushed aside his two bodyguards, and walked over to Eliot. Strutted may have been a better word, what with the taunting smile on his face and the gloating motion of his strides.

"Hello, Harrison. I doubt that is your real name?"

Eliot said nothing.

"Hmph. Yes, let's get right down to business, shall we? You were rather rude the other day, stealing my hostage away from me without paying your dues. And that did not rest well with me, you see. So I had to find another way to get my money. Hence, this." he gestured at the chair and ropes.

So there was going to be a ransom. That was good news for Eliot, bad news for the team.

"You're wasting your time if you think that we're giving you anything," Eliot spat.

Hughes chuckled. "No, I think not. You see, I've noticed in passing that you all seem to have a much deeper… connection, shall we say, than most other conmen. Most just are there for one job, and one job only. You, on the other hand… Anyways, I do believe that your friends will do whatever is necessary to see your safe return."

Eliot shook his head, scoffing as Hughes pulled out a cell phone.

"All I need you to do now, is talk to them, show them you're still in one piece, and tell them my demands."

"What? You think I'm that stupid, just because I'm the muscle? There's no way in hell you're getting me to say anything."

Hughes sighed, reading in the hitter's expression that he was serious. He shrugged indifferently. "Fine. Makes no difference to me how long this takes, so long as I get my money."

He nodded to one of the bodyguards. The dark figure stepped forward, a menacing-looking syringe grasped tightly in his fist. Before Eliot could utter another word, the needle was slipping under his skin, injecting a murky liquid substance into his bloodstream.

The last thing he saw before the world disappeared was the grotesque needle pulling out of his arm.

**-O-**

**Well, that was sort of a cliffhanger. Review?**


	8. Hell May Have Just Frozen Over

**Uh… not really much to say, so…**

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "I want flurries for Christmas… make it happen." ~ Parker**

**-O-**

**Chapter Eight**

**Hell May Have Just Frozen Over**

Descending the stairs of his apartment the next morning, Nate Ford sighed as the floor came into view. It was littered with empty gummy fish packages and orange soda bottles, courtesy, of course, of Hardison. Not for the first time he wished that the apartment had come with a maid service.

Sophie watched him descend from her perch on the couch. Her legs were crossed, foot tapping impatiently against the wood floor. She took in his bedraggled, bedridden appearance with a small cluck of disapproval.

Nate stopped mid-step, staring at the grifter in open surprise. She raised an amused eyebrow as he took in her appearance- her short gray dress that rode up to her mid-thighs, her four inch shiny black heels. The surprise didn't last long.

"Now I understand why you have such an easy time reeling in the bad guys," He offered his hand to her, and pulled her up.

Sophie smiled. "C'mon, I'll help you clean up."

Nate smiled gratefully, and they proceeded to clean, erasing any sign that Hardison had ever been there, and overflowing the trash bins in the process.

"Okay," Nate said once they had finished. "What's on your mind?"

Sophie pursed her lips. "I'm worried about Eliot."

"Sophie, he needs his space-"

"I'm worried that he's hurt."

"Sophie, he-"

"Physically."

That gave Nate pause. "What?"

"As I was leaving yesterday, I saw an ambulance. Some guy had fainted, according to some teen on the street. I called Eliot's cell, and it was off."

"We don't know for sure it was Eliot."

"But don't you think it's strange that the ambulance arrived almost immediately?"

Nate hesitated.

"And that his cell phone was turned off? He never turns it off."

"Well-"

"And so soon after we had to rescue you?"

"Now hang on. You didn't have to _rescue_ me. I was doing just fine on my own."

Sophie scoffed. "Yeah, chained to a hospital bed!" He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "That's no the point! Eliot could be in danger."

Nate sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll call him, okay?"

It was then that the phone began to ring.

-O-

Eliot had given in, and he hated it. He hated it even as the phone was held up to his ear, as the gun prodded his shoulder. He hated it as Nate's voice came over the phone with a grim "Hello?"

"Nate," the gun nuzzled his shoulder. He glared at the bodyguard standing over him.

"Eliot, Sophie seems to think-"

"Listen closely," Eliot read off of the note card held in front of his face by Hughes. "Hughes is not happy. He wants his money. And he will not rest until he gets it." The words sounded like something out of a bad James Bond movie. They felt foreign, and unwelcome as they stumbled awkwardly out of his mouth. "Nate, I-"

The phone was whisked away from him.

"You want your guy back, you give me my money. Plus interest. I'll have one of my men e-mail you the drop-off location." The conversation was cut off.

Eliot frowned as the phone snapped shut. He frowned as the bodyguard flipped the gun away with ease of practice. He frowned as the tip of a syringe appeared out of Hughes' pocket.

His eyes fluttered closed as the world turned the darkest shade of black.

-O-

Nate slammed the phone down, face grim. He glanced at Sophie.

"Call Hardison."

Less than ten minutes later, the entire team, minus Eliot, were gathered in Nate's apartment. Parker was pacing nervously back and forth, despite repeated efforts to get her to stop. Hardison was tapping furiously into his laptop, trying to trace the signal from the phone call. Sophie was talking in a hushed tone to Nate over in the corner.

"Maybe we should just give them what they want," she was saying, shrugging hopelessly.

"Sophie, that's not how we operate. We'll rescue Eliot."

"Eliot is our retrieval specialist! He's the one who's supposed to be in charge of this type of thing!"

"Yeah, well now it's our job."

"But I just think that it would be so much easier to give them their money! I mean, we have enough. And its not like we can't… _obtain_ more."

"But that's not the point, Sophie! What good would that do the families that have lost their homes because of this bastard, hm? He'd just get away with more money! We're going to find a way to rescue Eliot, and take down this loan shark, once and for all."

Sophie didn't respond to that. How could she? She may be the grifter, but Nate was the mastermind, and he always came out on top.

"Fine, okay, go ahead, continue on with your little heroic plans. Just answer me this. How do plan on taking on Hughes, when he already knows our faces, hm?"

Nate paused. "For that, we're going to need to call in an old friend."

**-O-**

**Reviews, anyone? It was short, but I thought I did a halfway decent job of Nate and Sophie's banter. Thoughts?**


	9. And Then There Were Five

**Okay, so apparently the next episode of Leverage is the season finale. They better have the next season start right away, or else what was the point of waiting three months just to show two episodes, before waiting several more months for the new season? I mean, come on, seriously?**

**Okay, rant aside. There is one thing I need to mention about this story that I forgot to include in an earlier chapter. Kylie works as a secretary for a professional photography business, and her dream is to own her own business one day. **

**Thanks to my friends for helping me come up with Kylie's last name (which I had neglected doing so until now) and the name of the photography service!**

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "I said bleeding **_**tears**_**, not bleeding **_**ears**_**!" ~ Nate**

**-O-**

**Chapter Nine**

**And Then There Were Five**

Kylie's day began just like every other. She woke in the morning, yawning and rising to cross the room and shut off her alarm. Grabbing a set of clothes out of her drawers and turning on the shower, she fell easily back into her morning routine.

Shower done, she slipped on a robe. Her hair was next, a simply ponytail. She pursed her lips as she decided what color eyeliner to use, and finally pulled on her work clothes.

Breakfast was a simple cup of coffee and bowl of oatmeal, and then she was on her way to her work.

"Good morning, Mr. Allen," Kylie nodded to her boss as she handed him his morning coffee.

"Morning," he was distracted, as always. He took the coffee and muttered a "thanks" without looking away from his camera.

He really wasn't a bad boss. He was friendly, when he wasn't working. He took his work seriously, and spent nearly as much time taking the perfect picture as he did developing every picture, even the blurred ones, in the dark room. He wasn't antisocial, and he usually struck up at least one conversation a day with Kylie. He was nice, too. He understood if you couldn't show up to work one day, so long as you had an excuse. However, he also respected private matters and personal space, and was never one to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

Several hours of fielding calls, inquiries about orders and requests for his services later, Kylie was sorting out order forms from the local high school when the phone rang.

"Allen's Photo Memories, Kylie speaking. How may I help you?"

"Kylie Wright," the voice on the other end of the line was somber.

"Who is this?"

"My name is Nathan Ford. I am an ex-insurance investigator."

"O-okay, well, Mr. Allen is busy at the moment, but I can take a message-"

"I'm not leaving a message for Mr. Allen. I need your help."

"My-my help?" What was going on?

"A… friend of mine is in trouble. You know Harrison?"

Kylie resisted the urge to slam the phone down then and there. "Listen, I don't know who you are or what you want, but you better leave me alone, or I will call the cops!" she hissed, tensing as she waited for the man's reply.

It came in the form of a sigh. "He's not what you think. He works with me, we work with a team. A team of… well, thieves. But we help people, Kylie. We steal from the rich, give to the poor," There was a slight hesitation before he continued. "The rich and powerful, they take what they want. We steal it back for you. We provide leverage."

"And you expect me to believe that your little… Robin Hood charade is real?" Kylie scoffed.

The voice was growing impatient. "Just last year we helped clear the name of an armored truck driver accused of helping to plan a diamond heist. We took down an Irish mob. We stopped a grocer company from selling tainted foods to the public. We exposed a corrupt lawyer. Out-conned a loan shark. Shall I continue?"

Kylie didn't answer right away. He sounded so sincere, but weren't thieves always convincing when they needed to be? "Okay, then why? Why do this?"

No answer. Finally, "Miss Wright, I used to be married. I used to have a son. My son… was diagnosed with cancer. I found a treatment that had a high ratio of curing the cancer, but the insurance firm I worked for denied my claim. And my son, Sam, died." There was a sharp intake of breath, and a tiny quaver in his voice that couldn't have been faked. "I was a drunk. I still am. I divorced my wife and was living out of my car. And then I was hired to steal back an airplane design that had been stolen from a man named Victor Dubenich. He hired me, along with several other thieves. And, after that, we just… kept working together."

Kylie hesitated. "Assuming you're telling the truth, which, at this point, Mr. Ford, I'm inclined to believe you are, what has this got to do with me rescuing Harrison?"

-O-

Half an hour later, Kylie stood in the doorway of Nate's apartment, looking skeptical. She'd made her excuses to Mr. Allen and followed the conman's directions to the apartment, and was now staring in at the oddest group she'd ever seen.

A young woman with blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail, wearing loose-fitting clothing, was pacing anxiously back and forth, muttering to herself. A dark-skinned man was sitting on the couch with a laptop on his lap, eyes flitting furiously back and forth over the screen. Occasionally he glanced up at the biggest set of monitors Kylie had ever seen. Another, sleek-looking woman was sitting on a barstool at the counter, one legged draped casually over the other. They all looked up as she walked in.

"Ah, Miss Wright, how kind of you to come," another man, the one she assumed was Nate Ford, stepped up and ushered her into the apartment. "This is Sophie Deveroux, Parker, and Alec Hardison."

"This is who Eliot picked for a girlfriend?" The one called Parker asked skeptically, frowning at Kylie.

"I'm sorry, Eliot?" Kylie furrowed her brow.

Sophie glared at Parker. "Eliot is Harrison's… name." She didn't want to say real name, because, well, it wasn't.

"Of course it is," Kylie sighed.

**-O-**

**Wow, I think that was the most boring chapter I have ever written. I sincerely apologize for the boringness, but it had to be done. Reviews anyway? ^-^**


	10. Dinner with the Devil

**The season finale was amazing. There's no other word to describe it. It almost made up for the fact that they made us wait three months for three episodes. Almost.**

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "You know what I could go for right now? Pretzels." ~ Parker**

**-O-**

**Chapter Ten**

**Dinner With the Devil**

_I can't believe I'm doing this,_ Kylie thought as she sauntered up the steps to Erik Hughe's office. Her hand shook slightly as she grasped the door knob, and she remembered what Sophie had told her. The comm felt awkward, resting in her ear, and it was all she could do to concentrate with the constant chatter coming over the other lines.

_Kylie sat apprehensively on the plush couch in Nate's apartment, watching but not paying attention as Hardison paced back and forth animatedly, waving at the monitors in front of them. The thief, Parker, suddenly appeared at her side. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Kylie. She sniffed, and Kylie decided it was time for her to shift away from the thief._

"_Hughes, Hughes…" Hardison was muttering, rubbing absently at the back of his head. He looked up. "Nate, what're we gonna do, man? We already used our con. He knows all our faces."_

_Nate, who had been leaning against the back of the couch, looked up. "This is were Kylie comes in."_

Kylie pushed the door open, stepping in and trying to block out the noise from the comm. The secretary, a young woman who obviously had no idea what was really going on here, looked up from her computer.

"May I help you?"

"Yes – yes," Kylie cleared her throat, adopting the slight Southern accent as Sophie had told her to. "I'm here to see Mr. Hughes."

"Do you have an appointment? Because I can't let you in without an appointment…"

"_Now, I hacked into Hughes's online appointment schedule, and-"_

"_You can do that?" Kylie blurted out before she could stop herself._

_Hardison laughed. "You're cute, man. 'Course I can, it was nothing. See, you just have to-"_

"_Hardison," Nate gave him a warning look. Hardison rolled his eyes._

"_Right, right. As I was saying, I hacked into his online appointment schedule. Now, all of his appointments with clients and business partners will be listed on here. See here, he's got a meeting with a Mrs. Trent tomorrow at noon."_

"_All right, Sophie, you take care of Mrs. Trent, and Kylie," he glanced at Kylie, and she looked up apprehensively. "You're going to make your first business proposal."_

"Yes, Mrs. Trent's the name."

"Oh, yes, of course! Right this way, Mrs. Trent."

Kylie followed the young secretary as she bustled out of the room, far too happy in this dull atmosphere. They passed several oak doors. Kylie couldn't imagine why a loan shark would need so many rooms in which to conduct business, but then, she was no expert on crime.

"Now Kylie," Sophie's voice sounded in her ear, loud and clear and nearly making her jump out of her heels. "This is where it gets tricky. You can't let your guard down, not even for a second, or the mark will see straight through you. Remember, be confident and the mark will be confident in you."

Kylie nodded, feeling foolish as she realized the only one there to witness it was the secretary, who had stopped in front of the last door, and was knocking.

"Mr. Hughes, your 12 o'clock is here."

Erik Hughes was not an attractive man. He was in his late forties, and his hair was beginning to gray at the roots. There was a small smattering of burn marks near his chin, and his protruding nose, pursed lips, and cold gray eyes gave the impression that he was used to being listened to. Or else… Kylie didn't want to think about the or else.

"Ah, yes," he glanced up at the secretary, dismissing her with a nod. "Mrs. Trent, please do have a seat."

Kylie sat, perching on the edge of the swivel chair in front of his desk.

"We have some unfinished business, Mrs. Trent," he looked at her over his glasses.

"Hardison!" Nate hissed in her ear. "You did check to make sure Mrs. Trent wasn't a _client_, didn't you?"

"'Course I did, Nate! What d'you take me for? She made a business proposal to Mr. Hughes last year, and he turned it down. Something about running bogus checks," Hardison sounded sincerely ticked at the fact that Nate had doubted him as he muttered under his breath, "'Course I did, dammit."

"Okay, Kylie, here's what you're going to say…"

"I have a new and improved proposal, Mr. Hughes," Kylie leaned forward in feigned excitement. "One you're going to like."

"I'm listening," he sat back in his chair, obviously already preparing his "get the hell out of my office" speech.

"Well, I've heard – through the grapevine, so to speak – that you've had some trouble collecting money from some of your more… _indebted_ clients."

"What of it?" His tone was overly patient.

"What if I told you I had a way to make them pay off _all_ of their debts, _plus_ interest?" Kylie raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to take the bait.

"Good," Sophie reassured her. "Just remember not to seem too excited, and don't overplay your flirting."

"Sophie," Nate's voice had a warning tone to it.

"I'm supposed to be flirting with him?" Kylie hissed.

"Go on," Hughes sounded slightly more interested now.

Kylie, with Nate's guidance, proceeded to explain a very simple way to collect all owed money, whether it be in cash or some other form of payment. Of course, it included a few threatening sentences and a confession to other crimes he'd committed in the hopes of scaring the client. Essentially, Hughes would go to the client's house and give them one day to come up with the money, and in the mean time he'd have one of his men hack into the computer and change the will. He'd also have to arrange for the client's rather untimely death, of course. It was a malicious plan in every sense of the word, just the sort of thing a criminal like Hughes would fall for.

"You'll have to give me some time to think about this," Hughes thumbed a pen absently. "But I must admit, it does seem much… improved upon your last proposal."

Kylie laughed. "Yes, well," she shrugged, and then became serious. "But I'm afraid I can't give you much more time to think, Mr. Trent. I have a flight to catch tomorrow, at noon. I'm flying in to Los Angeles to meet with some friends."

Hughes took a moment to think. "Okay, tell you what. Meet me here tomorrow at eight o'clock sharp. Then we'll put your proposal to the test."

-O-

"_Okay, so then what?" Hardison looked expectantly at Nate. "We just expect whoever's doorstep he shows up on to call the police and rat him out?"_

"_No, no, no," Nate gave his infamous smug smile. "We call in an old friend."_

_The team watched him go, puzzled as ever. Suddenly Parker spoke up. "How many old friends does Nate have?"_

**-O-**

**That chapter was surprisingly easy to write. Maybe it was because I had just watched Leverage about ten minutes before starting it. And that would probably also explain why I kept wanting to write "Moreau" instead of "Hughes" :D Review?**


	11. To Change the World

**Would you believe me if I told you I had this written out but couldn't find the time to type it up? Cuz it's true :p Anyways, this is the last chapter! Hope you enjoy! Oh, and to those who celebrate it, Merry Belated Christmas! :p**

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "You need lessons on how to act dead. This is the second time in two years you've showed up at your own funeral." ~ Nate**

**-O-**

**Chapter Eleven**

**To Change the World**

Eliot was getting sick of the stiff muscles and fiery aches that came with the damn sedation drug. He could've easily broken or untied the ropes, but instead he was stuck staring at the desolate gray of the room, cursing himself and hoping Nate didn't give into Hughes' demands.

Hughes, that son of a bitch. He was the reason so many families had lost everything. He was the reason Kylie had seen him for what he was. He was the reason that Eliot was stuck down here.

It was the team's first loss, Eliot realized. They'd always bounced back in the end, even when Sterling was involved. _Especially_ when Sterling was involved. But this time there was nothing they could do. The mark knew their faces. But Eliot knew that Nate wouldn't give up, wouldn't accept that he had lost. He'd keep gong until he won, or he would die trying.

Which was why Eliot needed to get out of here, to warn Nate to back of, that there was nothing more that they could do. Hughes hadn't paid him a visit in a while, and the drug was beginning to wear off. One more hour and he'd be able to break out of his bonds.

A scraping at the door broke into his thoughts. The hair on the back of his neck rose, every joint in his body itching to jump up and investigate. All he could do was sit, and wait.

The door swung open, revealing…

Parker.

The thief ran forward, black harness jangling around her waist.

"Nate, I got him." She knelt by Eliot, examining the ropes. "Really?" She asked incredulously. "These ropes wouldn't hold fifty pounds on a bungee system. You couldn't break out of them?"

"I was drugged, Parker!" Eliot snapped.

" 'I was drugged, Parker!'" she made a face. "Get over it!"

Eliot glared daggers at her.

In under a minute, he was flexing his muscles, wincing as they tried to shake off the stiffness. Parker handed him a comm, which he slipped into his ear.

"Nate," his voice was hoarse and gravelly.

"How're you feeling, Eliot?"

"I've been worse," he stood up, and his leg nearly collapsed underneath him as pain shot through it.

Parker lifted a hesitant arm to support him, but he shrugged it away. He didn't need any damn help to walk.

"Nate, tell me you have a plan."

What he heard next threw him completely off guard.

"This is the address," Kylie's voice sounded over the comms.

Eliot stumbled to a halt. "Kylie?"

-O-

Kylie paused on the steps to the house, allowing Hughes to go ahead. A small smile crept onto her lips. "Good to hear your voice, soldier."

His reply was interrupted by Hughes. "Aren't you coming, Mrs. Trent?"

Kylie sprinted the last few steps to join him by the door. The doorbell rang, and she had to suppress a was wispy over his round scalp, and his brown jacket looked like it had seen better days.

"What're you doing here?" The man was immediately on the defensive, nervous. "I have nearly all the money!"

"Mr. Raleigh," Hughes stepped in the house, chuckling. "I'm tired of waiting."

"I told you, I need more time!"

Hughes shrugged indifferently. "That's why I'm going to give you 12 hours. Oh, and I've upped your fee. You owe me 100,000 dollars."

"But that's twice as much!"

"Interest," Hughes explained, shrugging. "Now, Mr. Raleigh, you should know that I've been known to take hostages, should I not get what I want. How are you daughters? Still doing well in school? Their soccer team is number one in the division, I hear."

Kylie had to suppress the urge to slap the loan shark then and there.

"Well, in that case," Mr. Raleigh fished for something in his pocket. That something turned out to be a police badge. "Erik Hughes, you are under arrest for threatening an officer of the law, kidnapping of innocent citizens, and I'm just getting started."

"What-what? How?" Hughes was livid even as the cuffs were slapped onto his wrists.

"_Now, I've hacked into his client list," Hardison gestured to the monitors._

"_Good, now Hughes –and any other smart loan shark, would automatically go after the client who owes him the most money. Hardison?" Nate looked at the hacker._

"_That would be a Mr. Trevor Raleigh. Construction worker. He owes our mark over 50,000 dollars. Looks like his payment's due pretty soon, too."_

"_Good, that's just what we need," Nate paused. He opened his mouth as if to elaborate, but started to walk away._

"_Hey, where're you going?" Hardison asked incredulously._

"_Detective Bennano owes me a favor."_

-O-

The wail of police sirens met Kylie, Hughes, and Bennano as they exited the house. Three police cats appeared around the corner, screeching to a halt in front of the driveway. No one but Kylie noticed the dark van pulling up across the street.

Doors slammed, and uniformed officers stepped out, escorting a confused-looking man who she assumed was the real Mr. Raleigh past them up the steps.

Kylie hung back, watching Hughes as he was forced into the police car. She was amazed, completely amazed. She had just helped put away one of the most notorious loan sharks for a very long time, and saved dozens of families in the process.

Enraged shouts caught her attention. She looked over to see Hughes pointing animatedly at something across the street, livid.

Bennano looked over at the team of thieves, grinned, and shoved Hughes back into the cruiser.

Kylie smiled, all doubts about the team completely gone. They really were the good guys.

-O-

Eliot watched with apprehension as Kylie approached the can, wondering how she would react to his presence. The last time he had seen her, she had caught him in the middle of a fight, and had been completely moritified.

So he was completely thrown when her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, pulling him into a warm hug. The words "I'm sorry," kept tumbling out of her mouth, whispered and raw with emotion.

As they broke apart, Eliot realized gratefully that the rest of the team had disappeared. It would make what he was about to say somewhat easier.

Kylie noticed his solemn expression and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Kylie…" Eliot's voice caught in his throat. "I can't… I can't be with you."

"What?"

"It's be too dangerous. I wouldn't always be there to protect you from my enemies, I'd be on jobs. You'd be better off without me. I'm sorry," he turned away, but not before the hurt expression entered her eyes. His feet propelled him forward mindlessly, away from her.

"So I'll stay!" Kylie called out. Her words were enough to make Eliot stop, and turn.

"What?"

"I'll stay. I'll work with you. I've already lost you once, granted it was my own fault. Don't make me lose you again," she had begun to walk forward as she spoke, and was now standing in front the retrieval specialist.

"Kylie, I can't-"

"Eliot, please. I've already thought about the consequences. That I'll probably have to quit my job. But I liked what I did here today, I felt good about it. I know I don't have much to bring to the team, but you saw me grift today. Sure, it wasn't the best performance, but Sophie could teach me-"

"Kylie."

She gave a nervous laughed. "Sorry, I'm a nervous talker."

"You realize we've only had two dates?"

She smiled, nodding. "We can change that."

Eliot hesitated, glancing over at the van. This wasn't really his call to make, but Nate would understand, wouldn't he?

He tore his gaze from the van, defiantly wrapping his hand around Kylie's. "Welcome to the team."

She broke out into a wide grin, and leaned in to kiss the hitter.

**-O-**

**So, what'd you think? Reviews are always welcome. :)**


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